danger of damnation; that Gomar himself declared Arminius had not erred
in fundamental points; that after the conference in 1611, the Ministers
of the two parties promised to the States of Holland to live in peace;
that the points controverted were not necessary to salvation, that they
were very difficult, that they never had been determined, either in the
ancient, or the reformed church; that the decisions of the councils held
in the church on occasion of Pelagianism enjoined only a belief, that
men are corrupted and have need of grace, and that the beginning of
grace is from God; that even the church of Rome permitted the Doctors of
different parties to dispute on these points; that it was not necessary
to call a synod to examine them, because the authority of a Sovereign is
sufficient in matters where only the preventing of schism for things
unnecessary to salvation, is in question; that the Sovereign has a right
to suppress disorders that arise in the church; that the business was
not a change of religion, but the hindrance of schism; that the King of
Great Britain and the Canton of Bern had justified the use of this right
by examples; that if the utility of a synod to inform the Sovereign what
he ought to do on such occasions should be maintained, it were easy to
answer, that it is not necessary to assemble a synod to know that men
must tolerate one another when their opinions differ concerning points
not necessary to salvation; that this was a truth acknowledged by
Calvin, Beza, Whittaker, Junius, Casaubon, Du Moulin, in fine by the
most famous Ministers, whose authority is at least equivalent to that of
a synod; that as the question was not about a point of heresy, there was
reason to apprehend the division would be increased by calling a synod,
so great was the ferment of mens minds; that, besides, the moderate
party in such synod would not be the most numerous; that perhaps the
Ecclesiastics would seek to diminish the sovereign authority; that they
might make decisions which could not be enforced without throwing the
Republic into the greatest confusion; that therefore, previous to the